ANG TINIG APRIL 2013 Matapos ang Mahal na Araw, ating pinaghahandaan naman ang Mayflower Offering at summer catechism for the children of our parish habang tuloy naman ang adult catechism tuwing ikalawang Sabado ng buwan. At pinaghahandaan na rin ang kapistahan ng ating patron na si San Juan Bautista sa Junio. Alam nyo ba na ang kapistahan ni San Juan Bautista ay isang malaking okasyon sa maraming bahagi ng mundo? Narito ang ilang pamamaraan ng pagdiriwang ng kapisahang ito: Sa France, may St John's Eve that is typically celebrated with a bonfire (called St. John's Fire). The Feast of St John coincides with the June solstice (or Midsummer). While this Christian holy day is fixed at June 24, in some countries, festivities are celebrated the night before kaya St John's Eve. The Fête de la Saint-Jean (feast of St John) in France, traditionally celebrated with bonfires (le feu de la Saint-Jean) that are reminiscent of Midsummer's pagan rituals, takes place on June 24, Midsummer day (St John's day). In certain French towns, a tall bonfire is built by the inhabitants in order to be lit on St John's Day. In the Vosges region and in the Southern part of Meurthe-et-Moselle, this huge bonfire is named chavande. Fire is the most fundamental element associated with the Saint John's Eve celebration because, since ancient times, it has been seen to have a protective character to ward off evil and symbolize the giving of thanks for bountiful harvests. In Jersey most of the former midsummer customs are largely ignored nowadays. The custom known as Les cônes d'la Saint Jean was observed as late as the 1970s - horns or conch shells were blown. Ringing the bachîn (a large brass preserving pan) at midsummer to frighten away evil spirits survived as a custom on some farms until the 1940s and has been revived as a folk performance in the 21st century. In Croatia, bonfires are also lit on the evening of June 23 for people to jump over. In Denmark, the celebration is called sankthans or sankthansaften (St. John's Eve) kung kailan the medieval wise men and women gather special herbs that they need for the rest of the year to cure people. The Danes often meet with family and friends to have dinner and if the weather is good, they proceed to a local bonfire venue. Here the bonfire with the witch on top is lit around 10 pm. A bonfire speech is often made by a well-known person. According to popular belief, St John’s Eve was charged with a special power where evil forces were also at work. People believed that the witches flew past on their broomsticks and to keep the evil forces away, the bonfires were usually lit on high ground. Placing a witch – made of old clothes stuffed with hay – on the bonfire is a tradition which did not become common until the 20th century. Water is believed to have miraculous, purifying effects. Tradition holds it that the medicinal plants are most effective when dipped in water collected from seven different springs. The species of plants collected on St. John's eve vary from area to area, but mostly include fennel, rue, rosemary, lemon verbena, mallows, laburnum, foxgloves and elder flowers, as well as the perennial herb "St. John's Wort" that has long been seen as a means to keep evil away. The herb has been hung over doors, windows and icons to keep witches and evil spirit away. The composer Mussorgsky’s (1839-81) Night on Bald Mountain was actually titled St. John’s Night on the Bare Mountain. The first version appeared in 1867 and was revised around 1872 and again in 1880. In the 1880 version he added a hauntingly beautiful quiet ending in which a church bell announces the dawn and daybreak chases away the evil sprites. Night on Bald Mountain has remained an audience favorite ever since its appearance in Walt Disney’s landmark movie, Fantasia. The feast of St. John the Baptist, is one of the quarter days in England. Sa mga Ingles at mga Irish, ang “quarter days” ay ang apat na araw sa bawat taon when servants were hired and rents were due. The town of Midsomer Norton, in Somerset, is said to be named after the feast day of St John the Baptist. "Jaanipäev" ("John's Day") was celebrated long before the arrival of Christianity in Estonia, although the day was given its name by the Crusaders. Midsummer marks a change in the farming year, specifically the break between the completion of spring sowing and the hard work of summer hay-making. Estonians also celebrate with June 23 bonfires. Estonia’s traditions are almost identical to Finland and similar to neighbours Latvia and Sweden. In Quebec, Canada, the celebration of St John's Day was brought to New France by the first French colonists. Great fires were lit at night. According to the Jesuit Relations, the first celebrations of in New France took place around 1638 on the banks of the Saint Lawrence River on the evening of June 23, 1636 with a bonfire and five cannon shots. In 1834, Ludger Duvernay, printer and editor of La Minerve, took the leadership of an effort to make June 24 the national holiday of the Canadiens (French Canadians). In 1908, Pope Pius X designated John the Baptist as the patron saint of the French-Canadians. In 1925, June 24 became a legal holiday in Quebec and, in 1977, it became the secular National Holiday of Quebec. On June 21 "Saint Ivan's Night" - Szentiván-éj (Iván derived from the Slavic form of John, translated as Jovános, Ivános, Iván in Hungarian – is celebrated in Hungary. The whole month of June was once called Month of St. Ivan until the 19th century and and girls jumped over bonfires. Most significant among the customs of the summer is lighting the fire of Midsummer Night (szentiváni tűzgyújtás) on the day of St. John, when the sun follows the highest course, when the nights are the shortest and the days the longest. The practice of venerating St. John the Baptist developed in the Catholic Church during the 5th century. In the Middle Ages it was primarily an ecclesiastical festivity, but from the 16th century on the sources, it was recalled as a folk custom. The most important episode of the custom is the lighting of the fire. Many towns and cities in Ireland have 'Midsummer Carnivals' with fairs, concerts and fireworks either on or on the weekend nearest to Midsummer. In rural spots particularly the north-west, bonfires are lit on hilltops. The feast of Saint John the Baptist has been celebrated in Florence, Italy from medieval times, and certainly in the Renaissance, with festivals sometimes lasting three days from 21 to 24 June. Such celebrations are now held in Cesena from June 21 to 24, also with a special street market. Saint John the Baptist is the patron saint of Genoa, Florence and Turin where fireworks displays take place during the celebration on the river. In Turin, Saint John's cult is also diffused since medieval times when the city stops to work for two days and people from the surroundings comes to dance around the bonfire in the central square. In Latvia the festival is known as Līgo vakars (Sway Eve) or Jāņu vakars (John's Eve). In Lithuania, it is known as Joninės ' or Rasos (Dew Holiday).The traditions include singing songs and dancing until the sun sets, telling tales, searching to find the magic fern blossom at midnight, jumping over bonfires, greeting the rising midsummer sun and washing the face with a morning dew, young girls floating flower wreaths on the water of river or lake - customs brought from pagan culture and beliefs. In Poland, the festival is known as sobótki during which folk rituals include groups of young men and women singing ritual songs to each other. The young women may wear crowns fashioned from wild flowers, which are later thrown into a nearby pond or lake. The boys and young men may then swim out to claim one of the crowns. Bonfires and bonfire jumping are also part of the proceedings. There are St John's street parties in many cities, towns and villages in Portugal, mainly between the evening of the 23rd and St. John's Day. St John's night in Porto is considered as one of the best parties in the world. The actual Midsummer, St John's day, is largely celebrated Porto and Braga. Portuguese St. John's Day, brought to Brazil during colonial times, has become a popular event celebrated during a period that starts one week before St. Anthony's Day (June 12) and ends after St. Peter's Day (June 29). This nationwide festival is called Festa Junina (June Festival) or São João and takes place during midwinter in most of the country. The Northeastern region of Brazil concentrates the most elaborated parties, more specifically in the cities of Caruaru-Pernambuco, Campina Grande-Paraiba, Salvador-Bahia and in smaller cities like Cruz das Almas, Senhor do Bonfim, Ibicui, Jequie and Ilheus also in Bahia. In Campina Grande and Caruaru, the festivities are approximately 30 days long. In the evening on June 23, Catholics all over Brazil light a big fire, symbolizing a Catholic tale: During a conversation, John's mother, Elizabeth, agreed to light a big fire to notify her cousin Mary (mother of Jesus) that she had given birth, that she might get post-partum assistance from her cousin. On the island of Puerto Rico, originally named San Juan Batista, after the saint, by Christopher Columbus, a night-long celebration is held. After sunset, people travel to a beach or any accessible body of water and, at midnight, fall backwards into it seven or twelve times. This is done to cleanse the body from sin and give good luck for the following year. In the Scandinavian countries, where the evening is called Sankt Hans or Jonsok, short for Saint Johannes or Saint John's Wake, the tradition is to gather around a large fire. In some countries (Denmark) a witch burning is included – a witch doll, often made by the children, wearing old clothes and having an evil look. This evening is a large celebration, often enjoyed together with drinking, dancing and festiveness for the whole town. In Sweden the celebration is also called Midsummer and takes place on a Friday close to the actual date. Swedish historian Olaus Magnus in 1555 recorded this traditional outdoor celebration including numerous bonfires, dancing and singing of traditional songs. The Johnsmas Foy festivities on the Shetland Isles (north of Scotland), where the people are still proud of their Nordic roots, also take place in the week building up to the 23/24 June. These may also have their origins in the Scandinavian St John's Eve festivities. The traditional midsummer party in Spain is the celebration in honor of San Juan and takes place in the evening of June 23. Bonfires are lit and a set of firework displays usually take place. On the Mediterranean coast, especially in Catalonia and València, special foods such as Coca de Sant Joan are also served on this occasion. In Alicante, since 1928, the bonfires of Saint John were developed into elaborate constructions inspired by the Fallas of Valencia. Ancient pre-Christian traditions related to fire festivities remain popular. Bonfires are lit on the streets, on the beach, the rituals include jumping over the fire, touching the water that is blessed at nighttime or asking for some wishes. There are fireworks, too. Special meals are also served. One of the centers of the festival is Ciutadella but many different cities and towns, such as Galicia, have their own unique traditions. Bonfires are also used in the Basque country to celebrate San Juan Eguna, the feast of St. John the Baptist, which marks the Basque Summer Solstice. In some towns the celebration is supplemented with more festivities and dances. In the US, St John’s has been venerated in the practice of voodoo and the famous voodoo priestess Marie Laveau was said to have held ceremonies involving voodoo ritual on the Bayou St John in New Orleans. Modern day practitioners of voodoo have kept the tradition alive. Bilang isang lungsod at Kristianong pamayanan na nasa pangangalaga ng ating patrong si San Juan Bautista, mayroon din tayong kakaibang mga paraan ng paggunita ng kanyang kaarawan – novena , basaan, handaan, at pagsama sa prusisyon. Harinawang maging Kristiano ang kalidad ng ating paggunita bagamat nagsimulang seasonal at pagano ang mga nabanggit na pagdiriwang. Sources: Wikipedia